New Delhi: Old Delhi’s 13 protected monuments and their parts including Red Fort’s Diwan-i-Aam, Mumtaz Mahal, Diwan-i-Khas, Delhi Gate, Ajmeri Gate and others have seen nearly full utilisation of conservation funds in the five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25.In response to a question asked by Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal in Lok Sabha, the govt informed that there are 13 protected monuments located in Old Delhi under Archaeological Survey of India whose conservation and maintenance are carried out as per requirement, priority and availability of resources, which is a regular phenomenon according to the National Conservation Policy, 2014.According to the information shared in the Lok Sabha, the spending on conservation stood at 24.50 crore in 2020-21, dipped to 19.09 crore in 2021-22, before rising sharply to 30.50 crore in 2022-23. It peaked at 36.57 crore in 2023-24 — indicating intensified restoration activity — before dropping again to 24.95 crore in 2024-25. The spending has been nearly 100% of allocations across all these years. Over five years, 135.61 crore has been spent on conservation of protected monuments in Old Delhi.Old Delhi’s protected heritage is not limited to standalone popular monuments but also includes a network of forts, gates, mosques and even fragments of the historic city wall of Shahjahanabad which are preserved.
